How community pujas came about

The tradition of community Durga pujas in the Capital gathered momentum when the capital of the British Raj shifted from Kolkata to Delhi in 1911.

The tradition of community Durga pujas in the Capital gathered momentum when the capital of the British Raj shifted from Kolkata to Delhi in 1911 and employees of various government offices moved en masse to the city with their families.

A little before that, Bengalis who had settled around Kashmere Gate gave birth to the eponymous Durga Puja that turns 100 this year. The employees of the Government of India Press, which had shifted from Kolkata to New Delhi, were behind the Minto Road Durga Puja, which has entered its 71st year.

Another major cultural hub that developed in the early years was the New Delhi Kali Bari on Mandir Marg, whose Durga Puja draws Bengalis from all over India. Other prominent Durga pujas dating back to the pre-Independence years are Timarpur and the Karol Bagh Bangiya Samsad.

Similarly, the most visible neighbourhood of Bengalis in Delhi, Chittaranjan Park, has been hosting its own Durga Puja in the spacious Kali Bari since 1973. CR Park was born out of the EPDP (East Pakistan Displaced People) project, which was sought to settle Bengali refugees from East Pakistan after the 1971 Bangladesh War.

Over the years, the number of registered Durga pujas is said to have crossed the 400-mark, with various neighbourhoods having their own celebrations.

Puja has ceased to be a celebration specific to the Bengalis. All Delhiites immerse themselves in the celebratory fervour that permeates the city at this time.